In yet another craft brewing trademark dispute, three-month-old Denver Pearl Brewing Company announced Wednesday it would change its name after two other breweries – one national and one local – raised concerns about similarities with their brands.

General manager and owner Colby Rankin said the brewery did research and conferred with lawyers before settling on the name (the brewery opened in June on Pearl Street in Denver’s Platt Park neighborhood). He said the brewery was aware “Pearl” had been used in brewing but thought it was on solid ground because Pearl Brewing in San Antonio, Texas, closed in 2001.

Pabst Brewing Co., however, still produces Pearl and Pearl Light beer in Fort Worth, Texas, for distribution in Texas and Oklahoma, and attorneys with Pabst threatened legal action, Rankin said.

Pabst representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The first concerns, however, were voiced by a local brewery Rankin said he did not want to identify. The news release about the re-branding plan sent to local beer press on Wednesday put it like this: “One brewer from the local brewing scene threatened legal action as well, as they felt they were entitled to the sole use of the word ‘Denver’ in craft brewing.”

“We did talk to them,” Crawford said. “We had a meeting, invited them over for beers. We told them it was probably going to be a little confusing for both their customers and our customers. But we never did take or did plan on taking legal action toward them. We drank beers together for an hour.”

Crawford noted that in the increasingly crowded craft beer market, “it’s important to have something unique and differentiated” – a theme sounded at last spring’s Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, he said.

Rankin, for his part, said legal action was discussed in the Denver Beer Co. exchange, though lawyers did not get involved. In any case, the fledgling neighborhood brewery decided to make a change.

“That is not why we got into the industry, man, to sit in a courtroom and waste money on that,” he said. “We want to be brewing beer and concentrating on the brewery instead of the outside things. The (brewery’s) lawyer said we would have a chance, but I just want to move on.”

“It affects us,” Rankin said. “We opened the first week of June, people are finally starting to know who we are, remember our beers and hear about us word-of-mouth. Now we have to change our name. That is kind of frustrating right now. But it’s also nice because we are only two months in and didn’t come several years down the road.”

Brewing on a 10-barrel system,-former Denver Pearl Brewing does not adhere to a specific style, offering a little bit of everything with a focus on drinkability and lower-alcohol options, Rankin said. The brewer, Greg Matthews, previously brewed at the Rock Bottom outpost in Boulder County. The plan is to start distribution soon.

The new name was unveiled at a “renaming party” Sat., Sept. 6. The choice, Platt Park Brewing Co., forges an even more direct connection to the neighborhood. (Just don’t add a pesky ‘e’ to the first word when you’re Googling).

Said Rankin: “We have definitely done a lot of research on it to make sure we aren’t going to run into anything else.”

Let me set the record straight: I was at that meeting with DPBC and Denver Beer Company’s co-owner Charles or Charlie it was not friendly. We had one beer for about 20m with and left shortly after he said “I am not saying ‘I am gunna f**cking sue your ass now’, but if you want to continue(to use the word Denver) I may have to.” Needless to say we were stunned. I would have to say this meeting with Charlie came across bullish and unprofessional, definitely not a “discussion” over beers.

JohnM

So DBC claims they own rights to the word “Denver.” Did they mention if they own the rights to “Beer” and “Company” also?

Too bad the Stone Brewery already trademarked “Arrogant Bastard” ales because the name seems to fit DBC very nicely.

Fletchmonger

They probably also own the rights to “really crappy beers that only sell due to their location”.

MPW

+1. production facility was a very poor business decision.

Thomas James

Too bad. I like the name.

j.dillinger

I don’t see that Denver Beer Company has a case here. I assume Denver Pearl was eating into their market share already so they decided to prey on the startup and threaten them financially. I’m amazed that there are people with such poor pallets that they actually enjoy drinking DBC’s product.

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